[WikiEN-l] Citizendium dead?

[Charles Matthews]

Marc Riddell wrote:
> And, on not-so-obscure websites, where there is a clear - and acute -
> academiphobia present.
>
>   
I can show you the academic mathematicians editing, if you like. It's 
worth analysing the "black legend" that Wikipedia hates academics, 
though. Fred's comment "Serious academics are knocking down big bucks 
and writing books" is partly wrong. It would apply to, say, [[Niall 
Ferguson]], though it must be said that his reputation has taken 
something of a hit recently. It would not apply to academics who are in 
academia because money is low on their list of priorities (yes, these 
guys are definitely not normal). It would not apply to academics who 
enjoy intellectual work, while writing books is mainly work work. It 
seems to me that we get many graduate students editing: now why would 
these people be at the same time academiphobic, and putting themselved 
into straitened circumstance to hammer on the door of an academic career?

Having interacted with a couple of the more high-profile academics who 
have run into serious trouble on WP, I think I know the conditions that 
cause the trouble (roughly speaking, a lack of acceptance that a website 
is going to have policies and is entitled to have them, quite 
indepedently of the eminence of someone who would like to turn pages to 
other uses). I believe there must be many more cases of "I think what 
you're doing is not that interesting" from academics, than such 
trainwrecks. I believe the attitude we have to credentials is relatively 
sensible - typically a doctorate doesn't qualify anyone to pontificate 
over more than a small area.

And the clear blue water between WP and CZ is not necessarily 
disadvantageous to us. They reportedly have some issues with fringe 
science being supported by their hierarchy, to the extent that it could 
be an embarassment to dislodge it. What WP certainly has is a 
disrespectfulness for the person set against a respect for the 
referencing of what they submit. I'm yet to be convinced that that is a 
wrong decision. It certainly beats the other way round.

Charles